The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) and the Seoul Museum of History proudly presents Charm of Seoul, Minhwa: Wishes in Korean Folk Painting, a new exhibition of rare original 19^th and 20^th century art works that reveal the personal history of Seoul through the aspirations and desires of its upper classes embedded in the popular genres’ symbolism and folk motifs.

These iconic minhwa art genres would go on to inspire many quintessential cultural images of Korea even into the modern age, including the now-globally-recognized “derpy tiger” and magpie characters from the hit Netflix movie K-Pop Demon Hunters. This exhibition also includes a variety of contemporary and digital art riffs on these classical styles.

Featured items are drawn from the Seoul Museum of History’s special traveling exhibition Charm of Seoul with a focus on classical minhwa, the traditional folk paintings which evolved alongside Seoul’s own history and culture during the heights of the late Joseon Dynasty era leading up to the 20^th century. The exhibition is also part of Korea’s ongoing Touring K-Art Project, featuring unique content across the traditional and popular cultural spectrum, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE).

In total the exhibition features around 20 works, including traditional and contemporary minhwa paintings, painted ceramics, other pieces from the museum’s collection, and a digital media folding screen from the National Museum of Korea. Through these exhibits and media works, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of Korean home life, decorative art, and traditional culture.

The exhibition goes on display to the public November 20, 2025 through February 20, 2026 at the KCCDC and launches with a public opening reception and introduction by museum officials at the KCCDC on Thursday, November 20 at 6:00 p.m. (RSVP required). Attendees at the opening will also have a chance to enter a drawing for special prizes.

Charm of Seoul, Minhwa: Wishes in Korean Folk Painting

Exhibition Dates: November 20, 2025 – February 20, 2026 

Opening Reception & Talk: Thursday, November 20 at 6:00 p.m

Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW)

 Thank you for your interest! This event has reached maximum capacity, but spaces may re-open up if others cancel. Please use the link below to check the status. The exhibition will also remain open to walk-in visitors through February 20, 2026. 

RSVP LINK

About the Exhibition

Charm of Seoul, Minhwa: Wishes in Korean Folk Painting is presented in three thematic sections that tell an intimate and ongoing story that has been centuries in the making.

Seoul’s Minhwa: The Blooming Wishes of Home presents fine examples of minhwa paintings that were historically made to order and spread from boutique stores to the homes of the city’s ordinary residents in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Within a house, a minhwa painting was more than just a decorative picture: it expressed a longing for fortune and well-being across a variety of thematic genres: pyeongsaengdo (paintings of life’s celebrations) for a long, blessed life from birth; hojakdo (paintings of tigers and magpies) for protection from diseases and malicious intent; chaekgado (paintings of bookshelves) for espousing respect for the noble class and dreams of climbing the social ladder; eohaedo (paintings of fish and crabs) for wealth and fertility; and gammoyeojaedo (paintings of altars) for heavenly blessings through filial piety.

The second section, Minhwa: The Wishes Blooming Today, highlights contemporary minhwa, reborn within Seoul and across Korea as a language of contemporary art that reinterprets tradition. Modern artists reinterpret symbolic motifs such as chaekgeori (images of books), tigers, magpies, lotus flowers, and fish with contemporary sensibilities, wit, and freedom, expressing personal desires and messages of happiness and peace that reflect the enduring yearning for auspiciousness from the Joseon period to modern society.

In the third section, Yoonseul Space—drawing on the Korean word yoonseul, indicating the shimmering reflection of light on waves—media artworks express the continuity of Seoul’s traditions and cultural heritage through time. 

호작도, 한지, 20세기, 서울역사박물관 소장 

Hojakdo: Tiger and Magpie Painting

Paint on mulberry paper, 20th century, Seoul Museum of History Collection

책가도, 한지, 20세기초, 서울역사박물관 소장 

Folding Screen of Chaekgado (Scholar’s Accouterments)

Paint on mulberry paper, early 20th century, Seoul Museum of History Collection

감모여재도, 한지, 조선, 서울역사박물관 소장 

Gammoyeojaedo Ancestral Shrine Painting

Paint on mulberry paper, Joseon Dynasty, Seoul Museum of History Collection

어해도, 한지, 19세기, 서울역사박물관 소장 

Fish and Crab Painting

Paint on mulberry paper, 19th Century, Seoul Museum of History Collection

백자청화기명절지문병, 도자기, 19세기, 서울역사박물관 소장 

Blue and White Porcelain Vase with Scholar's Objects Design

Porcelain, 19th century, Seoul Museum of History Collection